


What If- La O Na Makuahine (Ep 3.01)

by dawnchsr



Series: What If Series [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-13
Updated: 2013-01-13
Packaged: 2017-11-25 08:52:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/637178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawnchsr/pseuds/dawnchsr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if... the conversation in the Camaro didn't end with Steve telling Danny to think about what he's doing if he goes to war with Rachel over custody of Grace?</p>
            </blockquote>





	What If- La O Na Makuahine (Ep 3.01)

**Author's Note:**

> I actually started this as a quick story for episode 3.04- when Doris showed up in Steve's kitchen. It sort of took on a life of its own and now I've got this series that will follow Steve and Danny with a "What if this happened instead?" from each episode. Sometimes it will be a missing scene, more often it will be a rewrite of a scene. But all of these will follow a common thread of following the ups and downs of trying to have a relationship with the complications of everything happening this season.

Steve kept glancing at Danny as he watched the traffic. He wasn't sure where all of this was coming from or why today he was actually encouraging his friend to simply pack up and go to Las Vegas. Not when the dead last thing he wanted was to lose not just Danny but Grace, too. 

Trying to defuse Danny's mounting anger with the Boo Boo crack didn't help either as his partner was clearly just getting started. 

"Okay, you trying to make a point?" Danny's annoyance had Steve re-evaluating what he wanted to say. 

Steve knew Danny had already given up so much to come to Hawaii in the first place. Now Steve was telling him to do it all over again. 

"Before you interrupted me, I was saying, um…" He glanced at Danny who glared at him with fury shining in his eyes. "Aw man, think about what you're doing. When you and Rachel go to war the only person who is gonna lose is Grace."

The moment the words were out Steve regretted them. Danny stared at him before he glanced away, swallowing, then running both his hands over his hair. Steve could feel it, Danny's shock and hurt, and steeled himself for the inevitable backlash. 

Danny opened his mouth, pointing, then waved it off as he turned away from Steve again. The tension ratcheted up another notch. Steve could see Danny practically vibrating in the seat. Maybe pulling over in a parking lot somewhere wouldn't be such a bad idea right about now. 

"You know what, Steven? You and your mother make a fine pair, I gotta say. Neither of you are qualified to pass judgment on this, yet you both make sure I have your opinions regardless!"

"You don't consider Hawaii your home, Danno, you never did—" 

"This isn't about me! I can't believe you! Because I supposedly don't like it here, let Rachel uproot Grace again and move her to Vegas?"

"Military families do it all the time—" Okay, that was a poor point to bring out. 

"I am NOT in the military, Steven! And neither is Grace!" 

"All I'm saying is, you left New Jersey for Grace, so what's the big deal?" Steve stopped at a red light and turned to Danny. But he was completely unprepared for the betrayal and hurt in his friend's eyes. 

"I get it. You got Doris."

"What does that have—" 

"A few days ago, you climbed on me about following Grace every time Stan gets a new contract." Danny shook his head, looking out the passenger window. "That was before you rediscovered your mother."

Steve spotted a half empty parking lot and pulled in, throwing the car in park before turning to Danny. "Danno, Doris has nothing to do with this." 

The silence filled in for a long moment, Danny refusing to look at him, one hand clenched in a fist as it rested on his thigh. 

"This is Grace's home. And it's mine now too." The edge in Danny's voice was sharper than any knife. "And up until this moment, I considered you, and Kono and Chin family. I could trust you with Grace." Danny finally glanced up at him with clear blue eyes. "But now you got your own, don't you? The loud mouthed buddy from Jersey with the impending nasty custody battle must be an embarrassment to you! Doris certainly made sure I knew what she thought of me in short order!" 

"Danny, none of that's true! And I'm sorry Doris came after you like that!"

"Oh, just for the record, I've been dressed down by better, trust me on that!" 

"Danny, listen—all I'm trying to say is you dragged Grace through one nasty divorce already! I know how much you love her! Do you really want to do that to her again?" 

"What I do, Steven, is MY business! I didn't even want to tell you about any of this in the first place, but you had to barge in anyway!" 

"Danny—"

Danny held up one hand in a clear gesture of warning and Steve bit back what he wanted to say. Really, too much had already been said. 

"I need to cool off." Danny undid his seat belt and pushed the car door open. "I'll call Kono or Chin if I need a ride." He didn't even look at Steve as he climbed out but the door slamming shut with enough force to make the window rattle made it clear how Danny felt. Steve winced and watched as his friend stormed off down the street with some serious Jersey attitude. 

How the fuck did this get so out of hand? 

He'd never had Danny this kind of angry before, not even when he bailed to Japan with nothing more than a letter left behind as a lousy apology. But there was more than anger here and Steve had seen it. He pounded the steering wheel with the flat of his hand a couple times. 

He'd hurt Danny, and hurt him deeply. Danny had barely forgiven him for the Japan stunt and there had been a certain amount of trust lost between them because of it. Steve regretted that more than anything. Regretted the hurt in Danny's eyes. It remained unsaid between them, what was going on, what they were doing... but with Steve leaving him behind to go to Japan, he gave Danny a lot to doubt between them. 

Steve hadn't wanted to admit it, but Danny had been off balance over these last few weeks and he was responsible for that. Now Rachel decides to try and take Grace away again and Danny can't count on him for support either. 

What the hell was wrong with him? Was he so afraid that he'd rather hurt Danny then tell him the truth?

Steve shook his head then glanced in the rearview mirror. He could still see Danny, who had stopped about half a block away, talking on his cell phone, one hand slashing through the air. 

Steve sucked in a shaky breath and shook his head again, wishing he could take back everything he'd said. And tell Danny that more than anything he didn't want him to go. Because the truth was quite simply he'd fallen in love with his partner. 

And Steve was too much the coward to come out and say it.


End file.
